November, 2019
Mamata Banerjee’s land rights move for refugees is a political ploy, column argues
An opinion column has argued that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s decision to give land rights to refugees is a political move meant to counter the BJP’s position on the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB), rather than a purely humanitarian step. What the state announced On Monday, Banerjee said her government would try to regularise all refugee settlements on plots of up to three acres, whether the land belonged to the state, the Centre or private owners. Residents of these colonies, whose occupationRead More
Uddhav Thackeray to be sworn in as Maharashtra’s 18th Chief Minister
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will take oath this evening at a grand ceremony at Shivaji Park in Mumbai, becoming Maharashtra’s 18th Chief Minister. A first for the Thackeray family He will be the first member of the Thackeray family to hold the post, and only the third from the Shiv Sena to occupy the office, following Manohar Joshi and Narayan Rane. Thackeray will head a Maha Vikas Aghadi government, a coalition of the Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress. On Tuesday, the three parties unanimously chose him asRead More
Fadnavis resignation decided at Modi-Shah-Nadda meeting, say sources
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and the party’s working president J. P. Nadda decided at a meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday that Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis should step down, according to sources. Why the decision was taken The sources said the leadership concluded that, despite every effort, it could not put together a majority for the floor test. Going into a vote it was sure to lose was seen as more embarrassing than having Fadnavis resign. According to the sources, once the Prime Minister learntRead More
Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar announces Bharat Mata temple in Kurukshetra
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced on Monday that his government would build a Bharat Mata temple in Kurukshetra and improve the city’s infrastructure for pilgrims, calling it a centre of religious and cultural tourism. He was speaking at a news conference in Chandigarh while the International Gita Mahotsav-2019 was under way in Kurukshetra. The temple plan The temple will come up on five acres somewhere between Jyotisar and Brahamsarovar, Khattar said. Answering a question about it, he described the proposed Bharat Mata Ka Mandir as a future culturalRead More
Sharad Pawar says Ajit Pawar’s support for BJP was a personal decision, not NCP’s
NCP chief Sharad Pawar said on Saturday that his nephew Ajit Pawar’s decision to back the BJP in forming a government in Maharashtra was his own and not the party’s, hours after the early-morning swearing-in at Raj Bhawan in Mumbai. Pawar distances the party In a tweet, Sharad Pawar said: “We place on record that we do not support or endorse this decision of his.” He said he came to know only that morning that Ajit Pawar had become Deputy Chief Minister, and that he would speak in detail atRead More